Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

Summer in Hangzhou is always shrouded in a humid, sticky atmosphere, with frequent, intermittent rain.

The sky was washed until it turned gray, but the stuffy heat in the air could not be dispelled.

However, this kind of climate was full of novelty for Li Xiang.

Especially the misty atmosphere after the rain, filled with moisture, made him feel as if he were in a traditional Chinese ink painting, exuding a unique poetic charm.

So he decided to stay a little longer, until the start of the semester was approaching, before packing his luggage with Sister Zhou and the others and returning to Beijing together.

I had barely returned to school when a teacher came to my door—

It turns out that the school wanted him to speak at the freshman orientation ceremony as a "Zhang Yimou's leading man".

Before he could respond, he was stopped by Teacher Huang and the homeroom teacher after a discussion.

The reason is simple: the movie hasn't even been released yet, so pushing Li Xiang out at this point seems a bit too hasty and makes the school appear impractical.

Li Xiang had no intention of putting on these pretentious acts in front of his classmates, so naturally he had no objections.

The matter was thus shelved, which relieved many people who were secretly watching him—he didn't flaunt his reputation and knew his limits.

Afterwards, Teacher Huang specifically sought him out and instructed him: "It's not that I want to stop you from showing off, but I really can't let you overshadow the other students all at once."

There are quite a few students at the Beijing Film Academy with connections and influence. If everyone's attention is focused on you, the "Zhang Yimou's leading man," how can others stand out?

Or do you think you're the only one with connections? Their parents, uncles, aunts, and other relatives probably have even wider networks than you.

After hearing this, Li Xiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He wanted to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry, but he didn't intend to incur people's hatred while still in school.

But while they managed to avoid that one issue, another one couldn't be avoided—after all, October 23rd this year marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Beijing Film Academy.

By then, Director Zhang's movie will have already been released, and he, as a "Zhang Yimou's leading man," will undoubtedly be at the height of his fame.

As a student, he really had no reason not to contribute to the school.

This was something he couldn't refuse, and even Teacher Huang and the others couldn't easily refuse.

However, Li Xiang wasn't intimidated by this.

The Beijing Film Academy has been educating and nurturing students for sixty years, producing countless outstanding figures. But on the day of the anniversary celebration...

Amidst a constellation of stars, how much attention can this newcomer attract?

When the time comes, just joining in the fun and doing your part will be enough.

.....................

On the morning of September 12, as dawn broke, the air was still thick with scorching heat.

Li Xiang straightened his black shirt in front of the mirror, neatly rolling up the cuffs to his forearms to reveal his well-defined arms.

His hairstyle, a recent American-style spiky cut, looked quite energetic after a little styling.

His face was almost bare of makeup, radiating youthful energy and freshness.

With everything ready, he left home with a mix of trepidation and excitement, heading straight to Zhang Yimou's studio.

This was also arranged in advance by Director Zhang. Today, we set off from the studio together to attend the premiere, which can be regarded as a way of showing him consideration.

When he arrived at the studio, Director Zhang had just finished getting ready. Seeing him enter, he simply patted his shoulder lightly and said calmly, "Don't be nervous."

The little yellow duck was also there, presumably Director Zhang had encouraged her beforehand, but judging from her tense profile and clenched fingers, it obviously had no effect.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have even bothered to glance at him, let alone give him a disdainful look as usual.

After the group was ready, they quickly took a car to the CPPCC Auditorium.

However, the scene before him was different from what Li Xiang had imagined—there was no lively and noisy party, nor any noisy small talk.

Director Zhang first led him and the little yellow duck backstage, briefly greeted the hosts Jingwei and Teacher Bi, and then led them back to the vicinity of the entrance.

At this time, several main actors, including Xi Meijuan and Li Xuejian, also arrived one after another.

No one rushed to take their seats; instead, they stayed with Director Zhang at the door to greet the guests.

Just then, Zhang Weiping rushed over.

The two didn't exchange many pleasantries, but simply exchanged a glance before going their separate ways to greet people they knew.

As if they had reached some kind of tacit understanding: Li Xiang stayed by Zhang Yimou's side the whole time, and he led the conversation with the guests.

Zhang Weiping led the little yellow duck to the other side to greet people...

Li Xiang was somewhat lost in thought when he suddenly heard Director Zhang call him. He quickly snapped back to reality and looked ahead.

Director Kai was seen talking with his wife and Director Zhang, both of them smiling, as if they had been chatting for quite a while.

There was absolutely no sign of the "disagreement" or "mutual contempt" that had been rumored online.

He quickly stepped forward and respectfully greeted the two of them.

Director Kai clearly already knew who he was. He looked him up and down, then spoke in a serious tone:

"It seems that Old Wang's relationship with you is indeed better than with me, otherwise why didn't he think of sending me there? It's not like I don't have any acting roles to play."

Director Zhang smiled helplessly: "You're already finding fault? I just happened to have a suitable role, that's why Lao Wang came to me."

"It's like you're saying I have no acting jobs." But Kai Ge persisted.

"We're all old classmates and old friends. It's just a matter of a word. If you can give me the male lead role, why can't I?"

Seeing that he was about to continue speaking, Chen Hong quietly pulled him back, stopping him from saying the rest of his sentence.

Then he turned to Director Zhang with a smile and said, "Director Zhang, let's go in first."

After saying that, he pulled Chen Kaige into the auditorium without further ado.

This interaction left Li Xiang, who only had time to say hello, completely bewildered, standing there at a loss for what to do.

Director Zhang noticed his confusion, gently patted his arm, and said casually, "Your Uncle Wang and Brother Kai are also very close."

After saying that, Director Zhang led him to the newly arrived guests and continued to exchange pleasantries with them while smiling.

After finally getting through the time spent standing like a lackey, Li Xiang followed Director Zhang into the venue and saw Zhang Weiping already seated with his little yellow duck from afar.

Director Zhang seemed not to think much of it, and went straight to sit down next to Zhang Weiping, then casually pulled him to the seat on his left.

The following interactive segment was pure torture for Li Xiang.

Those sentimental questions and answers made him so embarrassed that he practically dug out a seaside villa with his toes.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief when the movie started and he saw the dragon emblem flash by.

The movie plot unfolded slowly on the big screen, but he had no interest in watching it closely; his eyes kept sneaking glances at the reactions of the guests around him.

However, those who came were all industry professionals, each calm and composed, and there was no whispering or gossip throughout the entire process.

There was none of the sporadic applause he had secretly hoped for, and even the slightest change in expression was rare.

He could only reluctantly look away and force himself to refocus his attention on the screen.

Looking at the "third brother" in the picture, wearing a white shirt and with clean eyes, he suddenly felt a little dazed.

The filming period of more than half a year flashed through my mind like a movie, from the initial nervousness to the gradual improvement.

There were also the squeals of the little yellow duck, the laughter of the crew, and all the good and bad...

While I was lost in thought, I suddenly felt my arm being lightly touched.

Turning his head, he saw Director Zhang looking at him with a smile in his eyes, and softly saying to him, "You acted very well."

For some reason, Li Xiang suddenly felt tears welling up in his eyes at this moment, and even though he tried his best to hold them back, he couldn't help but cry.

She quickly feigned a light cough, raised her hand to her temple, and under Director Zhang's smiling gaze, swiftly wiped away the tears that were about to fall with her fingertips.

He then leaned back in his chair, and this time, instead of looking around, he watched the movie with complete concentration.